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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fall — the season
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. object — a thing
  16. vault — a safe
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. lean — thin
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. object — an aim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com